


A Magical Trip (of the Acid Variety)

by somestrongsaeki



Series: Akashi no Quidditch -verse [5]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Acid, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Beauxbatons, Harry Potter AU, M/M, Magical Drugs, Quidditch, Vampires, man buns, masculine Kise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4532565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somestrongsaeki/pseuds/somestrongsaeki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Kagami gets a hold of some magical acid, Akashi and the gang decide to indulge in a little 'trip' during their winter vacation at Hogwarts. This is set in their 6th year, after <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/4229496/chapters/9566085"> this story.</a> And, it's uncharacteristically fluffy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dropping Ambiguous Tabs

"Get up, Sei-chan! You're going to be late!" called an unusually sing-songy voice... one that decidedly didn't belong to Takao, or Himuro-kun.

But, Akashi was groggy and he didn't really care who was waking him up as he stretched into awareness.

"Professor Garcia already stopped by," the voice sang again.

The Slytherin opened his eyes slowly and blinked. This wasn't his room. Or his bed. And just as he made this unnerving discovery, an oddly familiar face popped in through the open door. Odd as in, it was odd that he actually knew the young man who by all accounts should not have been in Akashi's room. The long, black hair and red eyes were instantly recognizable.

"Do you need help getting dressed or something, Sei-chan?" said the young man as he waggled his dark, and sculpted eyebrows. The redhead threw a pillow at him and plopped back down trying to make this strange dream end.

"Alright, alright. You're always so cute in the morning. Just be there in 10 or she'll give you detention and we won't have time for band practice tomorrow."

The vampire teen left Akashi to his thoughts-- and boy did he have a lot of those.  

First, he definitely wasn't in his own bed. But his clothes were his own, and the small room seemed to be filled with his things. The picture of his mother was on his bed stand, and his books stood dutifully beside it. The layout of the room however, only contained two beds instead of the three he was used to. And there was a large window that showed blue sky, while he was only used to the brick of the dungeon dorms. The ceiling was vaulted and had a small hammock hanging from the rafters. Again, not normal. The situation was confusing at best.

He rubbed his temples and in a slow, steady, yet disjointed stream, he began to remember the night before.

_The room creaked as the evening storm rolled in. Though it was the middle of winter (winter break to be precise) the sun cast a warm orange light through the dirtied windows of the living room as it set. Their adopted clubhouse only had three rooms: this one, a bathroom, and a small kitchenette. So, for all intents and purposes, they were actually standing in the common room._

_"I don't know. Geez, I just thought you guys might like it," Kagami said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. His cheeks were a bright red and his odd-shaped eyebrows angled down into a frown. For a werewolf, he sure was a pussy sometimes._

_"What he means is, his friend from the States owled it to him. And he wanted us to try it with him so he would feel cool," his brother, Himuro said with a smile tugging at his lips. His magical eye whirred in a way that his friends had grown to know was amusement._

_"Hey!" the younger Gryffindor snapped, "I didn't mean--"_

_"Well, why didn't you just say so, Kagami-kun?" Akashi interjected smoothly. He swept his hand in a motion that encompassed the group. "It's a lovely gesture and I'm sure we're all grateful."_

_Momoi and Takao agreed emphatically while Midorima gave a small huff and what sounded like a 'nanodayo.' Their resident half-giant friend simply munched on whatever treat he was holding, as if his crunching was somehow conveying a message. And it was, Akashi admitted, since everyone understood the large Hufflepuff's affirmative statement._

_"Are you sure it's safe?" Kuroko asked skeptically. The Gryffindor jumped out of his skin as the silver-haired teen seemed to appear at his side._

_"Safer than you popping up out of nowhere! At least this stuff won't give me a heart attack," Kagami paused before adding, "I think."_

_His brother clocked him in the back of the head before addressing everyone._

_"I know the kid that sent it to him. Very responsible, and really knows his drugs. We should be fine, but I'm curious to see what these tabs will do since Dingus McGermlins over here doesn't seem to remember the name of the stuff," Himuro said, gesturing to the werewolf with a jerk of his head. His brother shuffled his feet, grumbling a semblance of apologies to them. One hand was tucked in his pocket while the other still held the goods in question in front of him._

_"I'm in," Takao said with a grin. The Slytherin reached out and plucked a small piece of cardboard from Kagami's hand. He plopped it into his mouth before his boyfriend, Midorima, could object. With a long, exasperated sigh, the green-haired Ravenclaw soon followed._

_"Are you ready?" Momoi asked, turning to Kuroko (who had somehow appeared at her side). Her rainbow hair swayed majestically as she moved. The Hufflepuff held out his tongue to demonstrate that he had, in fact, already taken the hit._

_Akashi adjusted the cuffs of his shirt as he assessed the situation. The group had made their way to the whomping willow so they were relatively secluded. Of the current student body, only they and a few of the seventh years knew of the existence of the room and how to stop the tree's violent defense mechanisms. Three house prefects, Riko of Ravenclaw, Teppei of Hufflepuff and Hyuuga of Gryffindor, were all informed of their whereabouts earlier and were told to search for them if three days passed-- Akashi and Momoi had both planned for emergencies. Though the older trio had raised their eyebrows, they weren't ones to meddle in the affairs of others unless asked._

_Deeming the situation safe enough, the redhead sat next to his best friend, Satsuki, in a large sofa at the edge of the room and put the cardboard into his mouth. The room grew bright and every movement left trails of after image. The last thing the Slytherin remembered was drifting off with an intense feeling of euphoria and a pillow of rainbowed hair resting on his shoulder._

So this was a drug induced hallucination, Akashi assumed. Interesting.

He pulled himself from his bed and began to dress, only instead of his black and green Hogwarts uniform, he found a fashionable, light blue one.

"Beauxbatons," he mumbled to himself thoughtfully. Finding his wand on his nightstand, he swept his arm and was ready in an instant. As he looked in the long mirror next to the door, he had to admit that he cut a relatively dashing figure in the new uniform (even if it did clash with his hair a bit). Now, to find his music classroom.

He stepped out into the hall and soon found himself in a large, and ostentatious common room. The ceiling was painted in a neo-classical style and gold crown molding framed the room. The walls were adorned with intricately patterned wallpaper and various statues and paintings were scattered throughout the room. At the side, three sets of large bay windows looked out over the castle grounds and Akashi realized that they were likely around the third floor. He knew for a fact that the academy was nowhere near as large as Hogwarts (which was admittedly massive).

"Yo. Morning Seijuro!" an extremely familiar voice called. The melodiousness of the laugh that followed was unmistakable. Kise Ryouta, Kuroko's cousin and Akashi's savior (a [long story](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4229496/chapters/9566085)) strode across the room lightly, with a slight jump in his step.

"Do you want to walk together?" the tall, blond teen asked, wrapping his arm around the redhead's shoulders. He then, to Akashi's complete and utter surprise, proceeded to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

If there were anyone alive who could hide his emotions, Akashi Seijuro could. Sure Kuroko and Midorima seemed more stoic, but even they lost control sometimes-- Akashi did not. In fact, even as in shock as he was, the Slytherin managed to maintain perfect composure. With a polite smile, he nodded and sidestepped the blond gracefully.

"Mu, Seijuro, why are you so cold this morning?" Kise said, pursing his lips in a mock pout. How Akashi knew it was fake, the redhead really wasn't sure, but he knew.

"Hmm. Come along Kise, let's go to class."

As soon his name escaped Akashi's lips, the blond froze. He closed the distance between them. Now that he stood closer to Akashi, he spoke quietly so that only the redhead could hear.

"Are you feeling yourself?"

The blond's amber eyes were thick with concern. His eyes searched Akashi's earnestly. 

So he knew, the redhead thought. It seems only fitting that he did, but how similar was this life to his own real life, he wondered absently. Either way, his lips quirked into a genuine smile as he responded.

"Yes, I'm very much so myself. Please, don't worry."

The veela seemed to brighten at that and began walking towards the gaudy double doors that Akashi assumed was the exit.

The hallways of the academy were similar to the common room of his dormitory, but each hallway seemed to have a different art motif. Currently, they were in a very baroque stylized area lined with mirrors.

"Like Versaille," Akashi thought out-loud.

"Enough mirrors for you to look at me to your heart's content," Kise chirped from his side. He nudged the redhead with his shoulder and smirked.

Perhaps it was the drugs addling his mind, but for once Akashi was at a loss for words. He glanced to the side and saw that he and the veela actually did cut quite a nice figure together (a ridiculous thought indeed). And it was then that he truly noticed how long the other teen's hair was. The style could only be described as 'man bun' and there was a light stubble growing on the young man's face. That was not there when they had met a year ago. When had that happened? He reached up absently and brushed Kise's jawline with his thumb.

"Ah yeah, it's too long, right? I can't wait to shave after the shoot tomorrow."

"Mmm. I rather like it," Akashi said thoughtfully. The heightened sensations made the rough hairs feel extremely interesting. The veela blushed, but kept his eyes straight, seeming uncharacteristically shy. The colors on his cheeks seemed to stand out more than normal. But the redhead realized, that it was probably an effect of the drug-- as was the way he had randomly stroked his friend's chin.

Akashi put his hand in his pocket and cleared his throat.

"What class do you have now?" he asked, making conversation to divert attention from the awkward interaction. Kise raised an eyebrow, then frowned dramatically.

"You forgot again, ne? How can you be such a genius but never seem to remember my schedule?"

"I just like to hear your voice when you tell me," Akashi covered, tactfully. The other teen let loose his melodious chuckle again.

"Yeah, yeah. I have voice lessons in the practice room next door. If that silver tongue of yours wasn't mine..." the blond trailed off before stopping abruptly, "alright, I'm headed in. See you at lunch. Meet at our spot."

And with a wave, the sparkly being that was Kise Ryouta entered a door on their left marked choral. Akashi guessed that his own classroom was the next door down and he turned the knob with as much confidence as he could manage.

In the room, stood a busty, blond woman with thick-rimmed glasses.

"Headmaster Garcia," he said politely, recognizing her at once from the quidditch cup.

"Akashi-chan, you're late," she growled as she threw his bow at him.

His bow.

"I'm to play the violin," he said, feeling surprised for the umpteenth time that day.

"Unless you continue your insubordination, in which case I'll make you do naked push-ups instead," the professor said pushing up her glasses.

Akashi shuddered internally. This was going to be a strange day (or however long this trip was going to last...), he thought as he began to sight read Bartok's second concerto.

It's a damn good thing he was a genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had this idea form while writing another fic that Akashi and Kise would work pretty well together, so I wrote this. It should be pretty short (I mean, how long can an acid trip be, Amiright?). Thanks for reading!


	2. The Same, But Different

At lunch, it turned out Akashi had surmised correctly, their spot was the roof. To be specific, it was next to the large dormer windows at the back of the castle. How the redhead had surmised this, even he wasn't sure.

"So, whose Akashi are you?" the blond said taking a bite of his sandwich nonchalantly. The redhead nearly choked on his own lunch. The veela patted him on the back and tilted his head to look Akashi in the eyes. He raised his eyebrows slightly and a small pout pursed on his lips.

"Don't be so surprised Seijuro-- or should I call you Akashicchi? Akashicchi it is," he laughed his melodious and wonderful laugh before Kise continued, "You of all people know not to underestimate me. And you should also know that I of all people would know Akashicchi."

His golden eyes swam with confidence as he turned back to his sandwich.

"Would it bother you if I weren't him?" the redhead asked with genuine curiosity (after he'd managed to get his suffocation in check).

Kise set down his sandwich and leaned closer so that his forehead almost touched the other teen's. The blond's eyes met his red ones and a smile played on the Kise's lips. Suddenly, elegant fingers pushed the short red hair from Akashi's forehead and a soft mouth caressed the skin there before the veela leaned back.

"No, it wouldn't. You are still Akashi, and not someone else, so it's fine. I mean, I even loved you when you were that crazy little brother guy, ne?"

The answer surprised the redhead-- much like everything of this day had-- and he pressed the topic.

"Assuming I'm not your Akashi, or that I've been hexed with some sort of memory charm, do you mind humoring me?"

The blond nudged him with his shoulder and sported a bright grin.

"I always humor you, Akashicchi. Ask me anything."

The former Slytherin looked out over the rolling landscape of the Beauxbatons grounds. Although Hogwarts had been green, it was nothing compared to the intensely saturated hills that surrounded this academy. The rich landscape was even more remarkable considering that his own school's campus had been covered in snow.  

Here, instead of a slightly frozen lake, there were two large rivers (one at the front and one at the back of the school) and expansive farmlands. They grew muggle lavender on campus and the purple plot stretched until it became one with the horizon and the neighboring farms. To the right of the school were heavily manicured gardens and to the left was their quidditch pitch.

Yes, that sport.

"Do we play quidditch together?"

Kise scoffed into a chuckle.

"We are the best. I am a pretty great chaser, if I do say so myself, and you are the greatest seeker of the century. According to everybody," he laughed that ringing and beautiful laugh, "that's why we dominated the last quidditch cup so easily."

Seeker. Akashi had never really considered the position since once of his best friends played it, but to be honest, his emperor eye and incredible speed would make him a definite threat.

"How long have we been together?"

"As in, officially boyfriends? Not quite a year."

"Were we something unofficial?"

The veela chuckled and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes, definitely."

Akashi forced himself to remain unflustered by the blond's expression.

"Where and when did we meet?"

"At a three-on-three tournament," his smile was nostalgic and the amber eyes looked out towards the small town in the distance. Kise's expression softened a bit, and there was a twinge of sorrow that only someone with Akashi's keen eyes would have noticed. "You were the most amazing chaser I'd ever seen. We were first years. You played with your green-haired friend and my cousin."

"Hmm, I played three-on-three?" the redhead had never played that style of quidditch before in real life. The veela laughed and gestured with his sandwich. It seemed everything he said amused Kise.  

"Of course. You're really too incredible. We were utterly destroyed by you."

"And who did you play with?"

"Our band mates-- you know we're in a band right? Anyway, Chihiro and Reo-chan. They're vampires. Do you remember that they're vampires?"

At that, the redhead let out his own small chuckle.

"Yes, I knew they were. Are we friends?"

"Hmm. With Reo? Most definitely. But Chihiro does his best to be an aloof asshole, so probably, maybe? You are our team captain though, so we all treat you with respect. And we were all terrified when you were... the other guy."

Akashi nodded and surveyed his friend. The veela seemed to be taking this all in stride very cooly. Too much so to have been new to this situation. He was about to voice this thought when the rich voice spoke unbidden.

"Yeah, I have been in your shoes. I mean, you tried the What-if Acid, right? Well, the drug takes you on a trip that reflects a 'what-if' thought you've had in your life. I'm still not sure if it's a different reality when it happens or if it's just somewhere in my mind. What do you think about it? Am I real or just a figment of your imagination?"

His eyes were so reminiscent of a wide-eyed doe; Akashi felt a fondness spread through his chest. Actually, he had felt a fondness for the veela since the day they had met; and even more so since their shared.... adventure

"I'm not sure," the redhead finally responded, "it feels real enough."

Kise flicked his wrist, wand in hand, and the remnants of his finished lunch (and Akashi's) disappeared. He reached up slowly, and slid his fingers, splayed, through the short read hair. His movements were methodical and soothing, so much like water coming in to shore in gentle waves. Even as Kise watched, Akashi found himself closing his eyes reflexively and leaning into the touch even as he relaxed into the wall.

"I want you to understand this 'what-if' and everything that it is," the blond said quietly as his hand slipped to ring the curve of Akashi's ear. He trailed his thumb and forefinger to the earlobe and pulled gently, "I want you to have a good trip."

As the words escaped the blond's lips in a whisper, he leaned over and his mouth was in a hair's breadth of the redhead's. And unexpectedly, Akashi's heart responded by beating more rapidly and pushing a small flush into his cheeks.

But, would this be considered cheating on Kuroko?

Again, as if reading his thoughts, the blond spoke. The hum of his voice rippled through the other teen's lips.

"It's not cheating in this world."

The logic was enough that Akashi let the kiss happen (maybe he even leaned in to it, if he were being honest). It was something completely different to any kiss he'd experienced before. The veela's lips were cool-- unnaturally cold, crisp. He wanted to drink it in.

The feeling washed over him and pulled at him; it was a strange deja vu to his (kind of) near death experience at the ocean. So much so that the taste of salt actually crept into his mouth, but it wasn't overwhelming. Even though Kuroko was part veela, this was just... different.

Only when they pulled apart did Akashi realize that the blond's hand was tangled in the hair at the back of his head. It felt so much like a part of him that he hadn't even noticed.

"Just don't forget what your reality is," Kise said quietly, petting Akashi's head slowly, "some wizards lose themselves on the trip. And as much as I love having you, I wouldn't want that."

And just like that, he pulled away and stood.

"We have N.E.W.T. prep now, Akashicchi."

"Isn't it winter break?" the redhead managed to say, despite feeling a bit dazed.

"Do you go to Hogwarts then? Durmstrang and Beauxbatons both have a winter semester. C'mon," he said, offering his hand and a grin. The former Slytherin blinked and accepted the firm grip. But this level of confused-ness simply would not do; he was still Akashi and that meant being more put together than this absent minded weakling that he was being.

"Thank you, Kise-kun."

The grin faltered just for a moment before the blonde patted his shoulder affectionately.

"No sweat, Akashicchi!" the blond said, leading them inside.

It turned out, the prep class was actually pretty interesting. The students themselves were fascinating to watch, simply because there was such a variety of them--vampires, giants, veela, and some combinations unknown to the redhead. He was so used to purebloods or ordinary wizards that it was a bit startling. Actually, if he stopped to think about it his own boyfriend was a veela whose housemate was a half-giant and whose best friend was a werewolf; Akashi's own best friend was a metamorphmagus and his roommate had a magical eye. So maybe he was more used to it than he realized.

Anyway, the seventh and sixth year students were actually in the same class, but much more complex and detailed work was expected from their senpais. Instead of a 6 inch parchment, the older students would have to write a 12 inch parchment with at least 10 references (things like that). It was an effective way to have class, especially with the limited number of students and Beauxbatons.

He twirled his quill as he listened to their centaur professor lecture about the merits of earth magic. Had he not be so high, it would have been an extremely productive class period, Akashi guessed. Instead, he couldn't wait to stop having to focus. The break couldn't have come any sooner.

During the short reprieve from class, dark black hair hung over his shoulder, followed by a grinning vampire leaning over him from behind. The young man wrapped his arms around Akashi in a very familiar and affectionate way. Were they really this close?

"Sei-chan, do you have time for your old friends after class?" Reo Mibuchi said with a flutter of his eyes and a smirk. His thin red lips had an unnatural sheen and his incisor was just visible.

Before Akashi could answer or politely remove himself from the embrace, Kise swatted at the offending hands.

"Off, Reo. Please don't make Akashicchi uncomfortable with your ridiculousness."

The arms slowly slid off his shoulders and the vampire plopped down on the empty chair in front of them.

"Don't be jealous Ki-chan."

"Who's jealous of who, ne?" Kise practically growled before turning back to his notes. This studious version of the blond was something that Akashi hadn't seen before. Reo, however, was exactly the same.

"You're right. Who wouldn't be jealous? He's just so cute," the vampire said, reaching out again.

"Are you really going to try it?" Akashi finally added, voice laced with amusement and a cool challenge. He knew a bluff when he saw it and he imagined that he was just as intimidating in this world as in his own.

As expected, the vampire hesitated and eventually put his hand down. His sharp grin was still present and his smile only broadened.

"You are so cute when you threaten me."

"I think you have a fetish," Chihiro growled, somehow appearing from nowhere. And to that response, Akashi and Kise both laughed. The grey-haired vampire dragged Reo away by his collar. It seems in this world, the stoic seeker wasn't quite as stand-offish.

"Oi, oi! Chihi-chan, go easy eh?" the other teen said as he was dragged away, "I only like that when Sei-chan does it."

Kise rolled his eyes and leaned closer. His whispered words tickled the redhead's ear.

"Please tell me you're not together with him in your reality."

Akashi's lips quirked and he shook his head.

"Good," came the pleased reply. The veela's fingers laced through his and the blond tugged him up. The redhead raised an eyebrow and received the answer to his question (he could get used to this telepathy thing).

"The what-if trip only lasts a day or two and I don't really feel like wasting our time in class. I mean, like I said, I want to show you all the possibilities of this what if," the teen's grin was literally bright like the sun; Akashi closed his eyes for a moment.

The What-if acid was still having a strange effect on him and once and awhile his stomach acted as if it were on a rollercoaster. It would slip into his throat and occasionally the colors he saw would intensify dramatically or the ambient light would flare up. This was one of those times.

He knew that veela's could have a glow about them, but right now Kise looked positively angelic-- like the moon's silvery-gold light. The blond's inviting look, coupled with the warm glow of his skin, was enough to convince Akashi to go. Leaving was almost a necessity at this point. He followed the blond like a lost puppy (well, feeling like one at least because he would certainly never look the part) and got the fleeting notion that he could get used to walking behind the broad, and confident shoulders of the very handsome youth.


	3. Bikes and Trains and Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi and Kise, under a tree...

"Keep up!" the blond called over his shoulder, laughing. The redhead closed his eyes for a moment and grinned.

It wasn't that Akashi wasn't fast, it was that he was too wrapped up in what he was doing.

A muggle bicycle. He hadn't ridden a muggle bicycle since he was a child; it was thrilling. The feeling of working his legs against the weight of the pedals and propelling himself forward.

It felt especially good in his current state. Every hair standing up in the wind, every leaf rustling as he rode past each tree. The wind was beginning to pick up which only added to the sensations. His every sense was being flooded and running on high.  

He pressed forward, easily catching the veela. The other teen glanced at him sidelong and with a smirk. He rest his hands behind his head, releasing the handlebars. His face lit up the dreary day and Akashi realized how easily he could lose himself in this routine.

But, it would only be a matter of days, hours even. And how was it that he was getting used to this routing so quickly? Despite his best efforts, his thoughts occasionally stumbled over each other, tripped up by the effects of the acid. 

Just then there was a rumble in the clouds above and a small flash. As if on cue the rain began to fall, slowly at first, then gradually the droplets built up speed and density.

"Quick, Akashicchi, under our tree!"

Leading off the road, there was a small dirt path that edged a large tree willow. The blond dashed headlong, legs blurring as he pedaled, and ditched his bicycle just before he crashed. The wheels and handlebars toppled noisily to the ground. 

"I win!" the blond said, propping himself on his arm breathlessly against the large willow tree. 

Arriving shortly after, Akashi dismounted his bicycle in a bit more civilized of a fashion. He leaned its frame carefully against the wide trunk and dusted off his uniform.

"I didn't know we were racing," he said, lips quirking.

"We always race here," the veela said with a click of his tongue. He sat down and leaned his shoulders back against the weathered bark with a contented sigh. With his eyes closed, he patted the space next to him. The redhead held his hand out to feel the gentle pelting of the rain, letting the water trail lazily down his forearms, before taking the offered space.

"So," Kise said finally wrapping his arm around Akashi's shoulders and easing the redhead down until his head in rest in the veela's lap. The Slytherin offered no resistance to the gesture and in truth, it felt like a habit between them-- something he was used to doing. He closed his eyes as the long fingers began to press through his hair, massaging his scalp with just the right amount of force. He nearly moaned aloud for how comfortable he felt. 

Small droplets of rain found their way through the thick roof of leaves ever so often. They felt cool and clean, much like Kise's touch. Unthinking, Akashi turned to rest on his cheek instead and tucked his arms in the gap between the blond's back and the tree.

"So, if you're not my Akashicchi, then whose are you?" Kise repeated, amusement and fondness thick in his voice. If Akashi was right, there was also a small hesitation, foreboding maybe?

"Hmmm. I suppose you could say that I am Kuroko's Akashi," he said, voice akin to sleepiness. He may not have felt comfortable sharing before, but something about the other young man made him feel completely at ease and open. It was a logical continuation in the way he'd felt around the veela during the quidditch cup the year before.

The fingers in his hair stopped when the name was spoken and the redhead nudged the hand, imploring it to continue its ministrations. The veela obliged instantly, with a minute increase in strength. 

"That little shit," the model said with a tut, "I told him I liked you, and he goes and steals you? Such a sneaky little bastard."

He laughed though, and despite the harsh words, it was obvious there was playfulness in his meaning.

"To be fair, I'm not sure you would have told him that in my reality. We actually only met this year."

"Ahh," the blond said with sudden understanding, "What a shame, to not have met Akashicchi for so many years."

Two cool fingertips traced the shell of his ear and his jaw, before pausing on top of his lips. Without thinking, Akashi pressed a kiss into them.

"Mmm. That's more like my Se--Akashicchi."

Warm lips kissed his temple as the droplets of rain increased. The Slytherin's reality felt further away than it had the entire 'trip'. Though he and Kuroko were an item, so to speak, things with them moved quite slowly (mostly because of the Hufflepuff). Not that Akashi minded really. There were things about the silver-haired teen that were truly amazing and extremely attractive.

But, he couldn't help but envy the other Akashi just a bit. Kise's ease with physical affection and the way in which he could seemingly express everything he felt for the redhead within his touch. And there was no denying how nice it felt to have those hands in his hair. It warmed him from the inside out and he liked it. It was fine to like it, wasn't it? Yes. He wasn't in Kansas anymore. In OZ, so what if he had a thing for the scarecrow instead of the tin man?  

Feeling satisfied with his potentially drug induced logic, Akashi pulled himself nearer. The comfort he felt was negated any of the discomfort of his what-if trip.

"I love you Seijuro," the veela whispered ever so silently.

"I'm sorry I can't..." he trailed off, unsure how to finish that sentence. Though he may like the veela well enough, love was something altogether different.

But, as if the blond could really read his thoughts, he replied with a light chuckle.

"It's fine. My Akashicchi tells me everyday."

Kise tugged at his hair with just enough strength to make it feel divine.

"That doesn't sound much like me," the redhead replied with mock speculation.

"Well, when you're with someone as fabulous as me, it is apparently exactly you."

"You are ridiculous," the redhead mumbled as he burrowed into the blond's stomach.

"-ly handsome. Ridiculously handsome," the blond said, smile evident in his voice,"Also something you say quite often, in case you were wondering."

The Slytherin offered a weak hum before drifting asleep; the vivid alternative reality seemed to drain his energy. He dreamed he was back in the Whomping Willow.

 

_Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. The sun had set long ago. As he shifted, a weight on his shoulder hummed quietly and snaked a thin arm around his waist. Shocking purple hair eventually settled in his lap as his best friend stretched out on the couch._

_Odd._

_He turned his head, trying not to disturb the sleeping girl, and surveyed the room. The giant and Kagami were stretched out in the corner of the room. Murasakibara was resting against both walls with his legs splayed in front of him. The other young man looked like he was ready to make snow angels, his body spread like a star. Not far from them, Himuro had found a pillow and curled up near the Hufflepuff. But, that was not the Hufflepuff he was looking for._

_He squinted and found Midorima and Takao resting on the futon across from him. The Ravenclaw was wrapped around the smaller young man, his arms engulfing him and his head buried in the Slytherin's chest. Vomit inducingly cute, but again, not what Akashi was really looking for. The silver-haired youth was nowhere to be found._

_Then, he heard the young man's gentle breathing. It was close--very close. Reaching out his left hand, he tentatively felt the darkness just below him, next to the couch. The soft, messy hair where his fingers found purchase was unmistakably Kuroko's. A small wave of relief mixed with affection washed over him. The other young man seemed to ask a question, then leaned into Akashi's steadily moving fingers. It was in this position that the redhead fell asleep in that darkened room that was in all likelyhood actual reality._

 

A heavy raindrop slid from the tip of his nose and into his mouth. That's what finally woke Akashi up.

In his sleep, he had turned to lay on his back, his red hair now pressed in to Kise's thigh. The air felt cooler than when he'd fallen asleep and he absently wondered how long he'd been out. The sharpness and clarity with which he felt his surroundings also seemed to imply that the acid's disorienting effects were slowly wearing off. Did that mean the trip would be over soon?

His eyelids crept open and the first thing he saw was the glint of a copper earring.

The blond teen had his head leaned back against the tree, so Akashi mostly saw his chin. The scruff wasn't that of a pubescent teen, but rather looked like the beginnings of an actual beard. It was strange to think that this was the same Kise that he had met just a year ago. But, he guessed it wasn't really, right?

The Slytherin carefully slipped from the other's grasp, lifting the arm strewn across his stomach slowly, and sat up. Around them, the rain had stopped, and in the distance he could see the grey clouds slinking away to reveal the sun. Judging by its position, it was probably around 3 in the afternoon.

The cool, crisp smell of the after rain air invigorated him as he stood. He felt like he was waking up from a fog when he stretched. And maybe he was; things were actually more striking than his reality now. The colors were bright and the outline of objects was crisp.

"Time to get up?" he heard the other young man mumble.

Akashi looked back over his shoulder to see the veela scratching his head. The young man leaned forward and pulled the tie from his hair. Long blond locks cascaded around his face before he expertly corralled them back into the bun on the back of his head. A few long strands fell over his face still, but it seemed too fashionable to be an accident.

Kise nimbly hopped to his feet and adjust his uniform, buttoning some of the shirt buttons he'd undone to sleep. He walked toward the Slytherin who turned his attention back to the countryside.

After a moment, one warm limb snaked around his stomach while another locked itself over his chest and shoulders. The heat of Kise's chest against his back was unnecessarily relaxing.  He had always found to vela to be quite comforting though.

But the feeling of ease changed as the other young man pressed his lips to Akashi's neck. He tensed at the contact and sucked in a small breath. Kise licked a light line to his earlobe and paused to suck there momentarily. With each movement, the young man left an electric sensation where his mouth had once been. But, somehow (maybe because the haze of his initial hallucination was clearing up) Akashi had started to feel guilty again. He stepped forward, easily extricating himself from the other's relaxed grip.

Kise sighed, but smiled fondly, "my Akashi usually puts in his earring before we go out on the town."

Fingering his earlobe, to his surprise the redhead found a small indent.

"I have an earring?" he said, turning to look incredulously at the blond. The other young man had a wicked grin on his face.

"We got them last year on your birthday, Akashicchi. We also got shit faced."

It was Akashi's turn to sigh. He rubbed the lines from his forehead. "I'm assuming shit faced came first, then the piercing?"

"Yes. Then the tattoo."

Akashi's eyes widened.

"Tattoo?" he said faintly before realizing that Kise was clearly struggling not to giggle. When their eyes met, the blond doubled over with laughter and Akashi felt himself involuntarily chuckle. When the veela finally calmed himself down, he casually swept a tear from his eye. 

"I couldn't resist messing with you," the blond said before walking closer to Akashi. "But you did give me this," he said gesturing to the orange-red, copper loop in his ear, "and since it was your birthday, I was completely surprised by it."

"The silver one suited you. Why do you think I gave you this one?" the Slytherin said, reaching out to finger the same ring of metal. Kise closed his eyes and leaned toward the touch ever so slightly.

"Mmm. You wanted me to have something I could always keep with me. And once, I told you that your eyes remind me of copper. Shiny new copper."

Akashi let his hand fall to the other young man's neck. He enjoyed the feel of the blond's neck muscles under his palm. Lazily, his thumb rubbed a small circle in the skin under the veela's ear.  Before he realized it, he had pulled Kise towards him, and kissed him. Completely unsure why he did, but no matter the reason: it felt good. Very good. He wrapped both arms around the blond's neck and closed the distance between their bodies.

Kise hummed and deepened the kiss. Akashi could feel the smile on the other teen's lips as his hands ran down the redhead's back. He smiled himself when the felt the firm grip on his ass. It seemed his previous inhibitions were overridden by some unknown force. And after a very pleasant time wrestling with the blond's tongue and feeling the lithe body against him, Akashi pulled back.

The blond blinked, and quickly removed his hands from the redhead's buttox. With a laugh, he rubbed the back of his head and started walking toward the bicycles on the tree.

"Ah, sorry about that. We usually do a bit more than just kissing under this three."

He lifted the bike from where it leaned on the trunk and pushed it towards Akashi. Whatever bashfulness had left his expression and he winked mischievously.

"You know what I mean?"

At that, the redhead laughed out loud (unusual and unusually frequent in this world it seemed). He could understand how being with Kise could have changed his own personality. After just a day, even if just a little, he already felt like he was loosening up with the blond-- laughing freely, speaking his mind-- and it was a little scary. 

"I'm sure I don't," Akashi responded, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

The other teen smirked and waggled his eyebrows. He retrieved his own bike and they began walking the small path towards the town.

"What have your other trips been like?" Akashi asked, breaking the amicable silence. He wondered if the veela would understand his real question.

Kise looked at him sidelong with a knowing smile.

"You mean, have I always been with you?" without hearing the confirmation, he continued, "In one trip, I was at Hogwarts with you. We were in the snake house together. Lots of trouble to be gotten into in that trip. A second time, you were at Durmstrang. We had only met once. I wasn't with anyone here. Another time, I was at Durmstrang and dating Aomine. That was really strange, but not terrible."

"Have you only tried it three times?"

Kise's smile fell slightly, like the sun behind the clouds.

"There was one other time. We were both at Hogwarts. But, it wasn't the same school. The death eaters had won all those years ago. And you...well, you were completely the other you."

He paused, seemingly looking Akashi over. Whatever he saw earned a hum of approval from the blond, and the Slytherin raised an eyebrow.

"I still loved you, but I like you much more this way. I'm not really one for bondage."

Akashi nearly choked on air. A few slaps to his back and Kise's raucous laughter echoed through the small meadow. The town was just a few hundred meters.

It would be an odd question, but Akashi's curiosity got the best of him. Well, to be honest, his complete rationalization that he would soon be gone and never have the opportunity to ask again had gotten the best of him.

"Have we ever...been intimate?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at Kise. The veela blushed slightly and chuckled.

"Ah yes. Many times," he turned to meet Akashi's eyes. The gold shone with heat and a very clear message. "You were my first, and I was yours. And yes, it's amazing. You feel amazing. You taste amazing. You fuck amazingly. You are amazing. Amazing."

The blond huffed and refocused on the path, cheeks red. Akashi felt like his own skin was on fire from embarrassment (and pride). But, of course he would be amazing; it was to be expected. He was Akashi Seijuro, was he not? They were almost to their destination.

After a moment, the blond called cheekily as he hopped onto his bicycle.

"I can demonstrate later, if you like."

Akashi tried to shake the notion from his mind as he raced to follow the other teen. But no matter how much he shook his head, the idea of being with Kise held on resolutely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Props if you know what commercial the title of this chapter is referring to.


	4. Bars and Exposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tavern talk and some clarifications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Do you want some exposition? Some information through a song?" as sung to the tune of a certain song from Frozen. If you get what youtube sensation this references, you're wonderful. If not, you're probably still great.

In the corner of the small tavern, a group of girls giggled as they stared and the handsome duo. One part of the small roof was all skylights and the soft light of the cloudy day filtered in cooly. The waitress swept past their table, leaving behind two butter beers and two glasses of red wine.

"She knows our usual," Kise said with a smirk. He held up the cold mug in cheers. Akashi returned the gestured and the heavy glass thudded mutedly.

"Bottoms up," the blond grinned. The glass was empty within seconds of touching his lips. But of course, the redhead would be able to do it faster. It one large swig he emptied his own glass, almost instantly feeling the intoxicating effects of the drink.

"Do we always have this much fun?" the Slytherin asked, the corners of his lips twitching.

"Yes," came the immediate response. The veela leaned back into the plush booth, resting his arm along the top. It was the perfect height for him to sprawl in. Akashi's own seat was actually an armchair, which he much prefered.

"These are your favorite seats, actually," Kise said with a grin. The Slytherin looked at him for a moment as an idea tossed about his mind.

"And yes, I can read your mind. I'm an empath," the other teen chuckled. His face had a slightly smug, and very self-assured expression. Something that might look off-putting on most others looked charming on Kise. He continued, "It's more like I can get the gist of other people's feelings or notions. But with you..."

"Because of our relationship, you can guess what I'm thinking based on observation and experience," Akashi surmised.

"Exactly."

"That's quite rare."

The young veela considered this for a moment and raised his hand to his chin. As if struck with electricity, he suddenly bolted upright.

"You also have a pretty special gift, Akashicchi. Are you a seer in your world as well?"

Someone who can see the future? The Slytherin had never had that gift before, though sometimes he felt hints at prophecies around him. He shook his head.

Kise brightened as he began his explanation. Apparently, Akashi had prophesied a few important things-- like large storms, or a herd of wild beasts on a stampede-- for Beauxbatons.

"A lot of people think you will be the most important seer of our generation," the blond concluded.

"Undoubtedly, I'm the most effective," the other young man responded before his humility could stop him. To that, the blond just laughed. His eyes twinkled with a mixture of mirth and regret.

"In your world, is your little brother gone completely?"

The thought dawned on him that perhaps in this world, Akashi was still split minded. But, Kise had hinted at a previous Akashi already...odd.

"Yes. We were completely separated during that mermaid-veela incident."

The gears in Kise's mind were visibly grinding. It took a moment before he spoke, answering another unasked question.

"You'd lost control to him just after our second year began. It was actually something to do with a prophecy that saved us all. You see, your emperor eye--your vision-- is because of that guy," he tapped Akashi's forehead gently with his pointer finger (which amazingly did not disturb the redhead in the slightest), "But, after a year we figured it out."

The Slytherin could not begin to guess what the solution they found was. In his own world, he had to have part of his soul ripped out before he was himself.

"Well, actually, you are both here. It was kind of like the devil and the angel on your shoulder, you know? We managed to convince your little brother that both of you were important to us. Because, to me, you were. Your incredible mind did the rest."

The young man raised his arm suddenly, signaling to someone who had just entered the tavern. Akashi was stunned by the realization that he could be both Bukashi and himself. Was he the angel then? An incomplete person?

Kise spoke to Akashi before the other arrived at the table.

"No. You are your Akashi. Different, that's all. To be honest, being with you reminds me of when I first met my Akashi--before I convinced him to loosen up," the blond laughed. He glanced up, sputtering out the next few sentences at top speed. "We're playing in a quidditch tournament today, by the way. He's our third-- an animangus."

Kise stood up as the other neared. "Oi, Hayamacchi, how's it?"

"Great!" the new arrival chirped. He wore the same Beauxbatons uniform, except there was a small bird attached to his lapel. His hair was a bright blond, but cropped much shorter than Kise's. Akashi was sure he'd seen this young man during the quidditch cup. "Today's tournament should be brilliant. I heard some Hogwarts students are playing."

He grinned, baring his two distinctly large canines. "I'm going to grab a drink. I'll be back!"

Kise turned to speak to Akashi as the young man's form retreated towards the bar.

"Kentaro Hanamaya. He's a bit enthusiastic, but really great on a broom."

"He's an animangus?"

"Yeah, he can turn into a pretty cool cheetah."

"Interesting," Akashi had only known that Aomine was an animangus in his own reality. And this young man had been at Durmstrang there as well, not Beauxbatons. "I wonder what brought him to this academy instead," he continued aloud.

"Oh that," the other young man laughed, approaching them with a large bubbling drink, "When I found out you'd be going here, I decided to come. You know I was always a big fan of yours when we we younger. You're such a great seeker! I wanted to be on the best team," The young man's eyes sparkled. Actually, it was more like the young man himself sparkled.

"Certainly wasn't 'cause of this guy," the young man continued, gesturing at the veela with a grin.

Kise rolled his eyes and sipped his wine.

"Ah, thank you Hayama-kun," Akashi said, suppressing a smirk. He fought the urge to tease Kise as well. From what he knew of the other teen, everyone liked to tease him. Maybe it was just his good nature.

"It's just the truth!" the other young man beamed. He took a long drink of his beer, leaving a moustache of foam. "Do you think there'll be many Hogwarts players?" he asked. His tongue flicked out to clean his lip. Kise glanced around the pub and Akashi followed suit. It was then he noticed some familiar faces from Hogwarts--no one he'd really considered a friend, but some students he recognized.

"Sakurai is from this area. He usually asks some of his housemates to play. Last year it was the Miyagi brothers," the model said with a fond expression crossing his face.

The other blond took another drink and nodded enthusiastically, "oh yeah! Didn't that giant purple guy play last year? Do you think that disappearing guy will play again?"

Akashi saw the veela sit up slightly taller and tense his shoulders, unbeknownst to Hayama, before speaking smoothly.

"I think Kurokocchi is on vacation, but he could make an appearance. Oi, Reo, Mayuzumi!" Kise suddenly called out. He stood to meet the other two at the bar, hiding the small scowl that threatened to take over his lips. Akashi didn't recognize the young woman who was with them.

"Did Kuroko play last year?" the Slytherin asked the other young man when Kise was out of earshot. The group were at the bar, ordering.

To be honest, the redhead wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of seeing Kuroko in this world. After all, he wouldn't be the same, would he? What a strange notion. The Slytherin was a little curious to see what his own emotions and reactions would be.

"Yeah! He's pretty awesome what with the disappearing and all that. There was also that guy with the glasses who smiles really creepy. He was playing with this spiky-haired big guy and a young girl--his sister I think? The only other team that was worth remembering was Teppei's. The girl on their team is so crazy with the bat. The glasses guy was a great shot, too."

"Hmm. Sounds like good competition."

"But we're absolute!" the blond practically chortled. He grinned even more broadly as he gestured with his glass, just barely keeping the liquid in check. "We always win, Akashi-kun. Even if Dai-chan were here, it wouldn't matter!"

Dai-chan... interesting. Perhaps because they were both animangus Akashi mused. Either way, he felt a small and inexplicable amount of relief at not having to see Aomine and Kise interact. It worried him--these small feelings or inklings that didn't seem quite his own, like he was slowly slipping into the other Akashi's shoes.

"Akashi-kun, are you alright?" the animangus interrupted his thoughts. Small lines furrowed his brow and one tooth showed past his pursed lips. "You seem kind of serious today. Is anything the matter?"

The large, innocent eyes blinked at him, and Akashi got the feeling that they had a relatively close relationship in this world. It seemed at Beauxbatons, his closest companions were the two vampires, this animangus, and of course the superstar veela. He fingered his ring as he replied, giving his best disarming smile.

"Please don't be concerned, Hayama-kun. I'm doing well. Perhaps we've just been studying too hard lately."

The other young man's brows knit together a bit tighter as he squinted comically. But after a moment, he broke into a grin.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Those prep classes are sooooo boring."

"Aren't they though?" chimed in a melodious voice. Reo Mibuchi put his hand on Akashi's shoulder before Kise swatted it away. "Jealous much?" the vampire said with a provocative drawl.

"Of what?" the veela growled under his breath. His pout was endearing if not also amusing.

"Leave him alone, Reo," the grey-haired vampire said, sitting next to Kise in a chair he somehow pulled up. In one hand he held a large fire whiskey and in the other a small novel.

"What muggle book are you reading?" Hayama said, tilting his head under the table to try to read the title. The other young man flicked his wrist, soundly smacking the blond with the paperback.

"Tsk tsk, Chihiro. Don't be so mean to my poor ototo-chan," the young woman finally spoke, ruffling Hayama's hair affectionately. She had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and now sat next to Akashi. She had shockingly white-silver hair and her lips quirked into a confident smirk. Slowly, and exaggeratedly, she raised a long slender, dark eyebrow, "or are you just embarrassed that you're reading a romance novel?"

Mayuzumi flushed and turned away while the others laughed out loud.

"Anego, be nice. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Chihi-chan," Reo crooned.

"Shut it, Reo-nee," the other vampire replied calmly. "Niou-san, please leave me out of your speculations."

The young woman's laugh cut through the air like a bell. Her eyes flashed with an obvious air of mischief, but she dropped the subject.

"Today's the day we beat you, Kise," she said, turning her attention to the blond model. She squeezed his arm, "And if we win, you owe me that kiss."

"Win or lose, you'd have to get past me first," Akashi found himself interjecting with a raised eyebrow. The other teens at the table laughed, unphased, each offering their own chides. This kind of jocular talk must have been normal for the other Akashi for it seemed that the young woman had been setting him up for an amusing response. The redhead wondered off-hand what it would be like to be more relaxed all of the time, more jolly.

"My hero," Kise said sarcastically. The way he draped himself possessively over the back of Akashi's armchair, however, was far from sarcastic. The girls in the corner stared at them fixedly as he pressed a small kiss into the Slytherin's cheek. The redhead was caught him off guard, though he didn't show it. They were in public after all.

"Don't worry. It's pretty common out here," the veela whispered, adding more loudly, "Plus, we're kind of a famous couple."

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. About as famous as Reo and Chihiro-chan."

The grey haired vampire kicked at her as he turned the page in his book.

"Hey, I might have graduated, but I'm still your sempai," she said, punching the young man lightly.

"Oooh, you made Anego mad," Hayama practically shouted-- a little too enthusiastically.

"Please, keep your voice down Kotaro-chan. Be polite to your sempai," Reo scolded. He moved to pat his...boyfriend's shoulder, but his hand was knocked away with indifferent ferocity. 

"Where is sempai by the way?" Kise asked as he straightened, releasing Akashi. Instead, he lowered himself on the chair's armrest; his own booth seat had been given to the vampire and girl. Hayama shifted in his chair before answering. Apparently, there weren't many other possible sempai who weren't there.

"I think Moriyama has a date today. He hurt his shoulder in our last match, so I don't think he'll be playing."

"Shame. I love seeing his ridiculous shooting," Reo said, licking his lips seductively.

"Keep it in your pants, Reo," the other vampire said, his eyes not leaving his book. 

"I could keep it in yours--"

"Ew. Stop," the young woman--Niou was it?-- stuck out her tongue for emphasis. Almost immediately, the dark-haired young vampire and the white-haired teen began arguing playfully. From the gist of it, he understood that they had been friends for a long time.

He couldn't focus for long because as they fought, a certain blond's hand snaked into the hair at the nape of Akashi's neck. His graceful fingers pushed the red hair slowly, massaging the muscles underneath in the process. For a moment, the Slytherin allowed himself to close his eyes.

"Oi, get a room," came a gruff voice.

"Be polite, you gorilla," Reo scolded, turning his attention away from the young woman with whom (judging by his small scowl) he had obviously lost the argument.

Akashi opened one eye to glare at whoever the voice came from. The offender was currently messing up Niou's hair with a broad grin. He was a giant of teenager. The brown young man had excessive muscles and veins. His thick black hair was cropped short to his head. When he noticed Akashi's stare, his hand stopped moving and he swallowed. The white-haired girl took the opportunity to push him off of her.

"Eikichi, Akashi-kun is going to kill you," she sneered.

"Even _your_ muscles are no match for him," Kise taunted, eyes flashing proudly. The muscular teen grumbled a bit before apologizing and calling to the waitress. When the mountain of bowls came, he proceeded to eat an ungodly amount of food.

"Despite not playing today, he's still a ridiculous pig," Reo said, shaking his head, "Can't you at least act human? Also, if I hear one fart escape your enormous backside, I will sick Niou-sempai on you."

The half-giant swallowed visibly and, after throwing a wary glance at the white-haired girl, he gave a grunt of agreement. As the bowls were emptied, and the chatter among friends continued, the hair on Akashi's neck began to stand up.

Disrupting his thoughts, their waitress banged a pot with a spoon as she stood on the bar, effectively silencing the pub.

"'ead master Garcia's out'n'bout thee pitch. Best get yerselves out'n'bout aswell."

Her voice rolled of the tip of her tongue and her accent was clearly not of the area, but it was very pleasant to hear. Like the quintessential favorite aunt's voice.

At once, most of the people in the small drink house stood or began finishing their drinks. It seemed the whole town was involved in this tournament.

After taking each teen at the table took one last shot of firewhisky, Kise wrapped an arm around Akashi's shoulders as they all made their way towards the door. Out of the corner of his eye, at one of the Hogwarts tables, the Slytherin thought he caught a glimpse of silver-hair that he hadn't noticed before. It could have just as easily been his imagination. His focus was stolen by a familiar velvety voice and the brush of lips against his ear.

"Let the games begin," Kise breathed.


	5. Allons-y to zi Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit short, but it felt like a nice stopping point. Thanks for reading!

"Allons-y!" a small boy shouted as he ran past Akashi's feet. In his tiny hands, he held a well-worn replica of a Nimbus 2000. Trailing him, his mother wore a fond smile. She carried a baby in her arms and a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. The family joined the throng of people shuffling into the old, stone stadium.

"It used to be a bull-fighting ring," Kise said with a grin, pulling at the strap of his own bag. He waved at a group of teenage girls who were obviously bubbling over his arrival. Akashi fought the urge to roll his eyes. He pitied the other version of himself that had to deal with this every day. His own jealous streak was already nibbling at his insides and he had only been in this world a day.

"Please, stop encouraging them," Mayuzumi growled, nose ever burried in his light novel. The vampire's long incisors seemed to grow as he spoke. Not someone you'd like to cross, Akashi noted. But, the other teen had unexpectedly voiced the redhead's thoughts.

 

_"Ladies, we have practice. Please, get out," Mayuzumi said coldly. At his side, another familiar dark haired vampire bowed politely._

_"Forgive us. We just have a lot to get through today," Reo said with a smile. He pushed his long dark hair from his face and opened the door of the practice room. A group of disappointed girls let out a collective whine._

_"I love you Kise!" cried a voluptuous redhead as Mayuzumi closed the door in her face. As he turned back, he threw the blond a murderous glare._

_"Really? Every time?" the grey haired youth mumbled. He stalked back over to the drum set and began twirling his stick, obviously upset._

_Akashi walked past him and gave his shoulder a squeeze in thanks as Reo gave Kise a seemingly practiced talk. The drummer's grey eyes met the redhead's and he grumbled a "you're welcome," before beginning to stretch._

_The Slytherin only caught the end of the other two teens' conversation._

_"But, Akashicchi doesn't mind. He's used to it."_

_"Used to it doesn't mean he doesn't care. Have a bit more respect," the dark-haired youth, smacking the blond in the back of the head. He yelped and Akashi couldn't help but smirk. Their two sempai were always looking out for him._

With a rush, Akashi's mind seem to fall back into his body. The memory he'd seen was undoubtedly the other Akashi's-- this world's Akashi's. The feelings he had weren't his own, not quite anyway. In his vision, he'd felt more relaxed and more-- free?

The other memories that had piggybacked on his vision made him inclined to view the two vampires as his best friends. They were always reading what little emotion he showed and helping the redhead without question-- as Mayuzumi had just done at the pitch. Despite Akashi's generally polite and complimentary nature, he still couldn't bring himself to be particularly friendly with Kise's fangirls.

Akashi reached out and squeezed the grey-haired vampire's shoulder. The other young man's lips gave a semblance of a twitch upward, but he walked away without saying anything. As soon as he escaped, Reo slung his arm around the other vampire, earning the dark-haired teen a firm push. Unphased, the red-eyed vampire just smiled and fell into step with him.

The other members of the group they had come with had scattered. Hayama was talking with one of the Hogwarts students that Akashi did recognize, Miyaji, and Niou was talking to some of the towns people. From what he had gathered, she had been quidditch team captain when she was a student, but had been graduated for almost two years. The young woman was also Hayama's sister of sorts.

It bothered the redhead slightly that he was seemingly very easily sucked into their world. In all rights, he shouldn't really care who they were or what they did. After all, the trip would end and so would these relationships. Being kind was one thing, but being invested in them?

He was beginning to understand why Kise said that wizards lose themselves on these trips sometimes.

The young man turned his attention back to the blond who was signing autographs near the edge of the clay of the arena. Akashi sighed unexpectedly. With the new memories, came a much more limited amount of patience; he had dealt with Kise's fans for years.

Years.

The Slytherin's gaze was wrapt intently on the other young man, but his thoughts strayed; would see more of Akashi's memories? Likely, he surmised. However interesting that could be, it would be a definite distraction while playing. Speaking of...

"Kise, can you come assist me?" he asked, though the tone of his voice sounded rather like a command. Making quick apologies, the blond quickly broke away from the group.

He bowed before blurting, "I'm sorry Akashicchi. They just kind of surrounded me and--"

"It's fine," Akashi interrupted calmly. His voice was so warm, almost as warm as his palm on Kise's neck. The blond flushed slightly.

"I need you to remind me of the rules," the redhead continued, doing his best to ignore the endearing reaction to his touch.

"Ah yeah," the veela stuttered. He gestured toward an empty area of the arena, and grinned eagerly, "let's warm-up and I'll show you."

Teams moved from their path and greeted them with enthusiasm. Despite being last year's champions, there was much more admiration than animosity abounds. The players were of all ages, though Kise had explained that in their bracket only serious competitors were allowed. The rest of the much younger or much older players would be doing exhibition matches throughout the next couple of days.

When they reached a relatively open space, the blond handed Akashi a bat very similar to a cricket bat. It had a long rectangular face and was flat. The handle was wrapped in a deep red leather and the wood itself was a deep, brown (almost black) walnut. His initials were carved into the base of the face.

"It's enchanted so it can't physically hit any of the other players. Watch," Kise said as he took the bat and swung it at his own face. Instinctively, Akashi's arm shot out and stopped the blow from landing. The blond laughed fondly.

"You've done that so many times," he chuckled, "just let me show you."

With a nod, the redhead moved his arm and willed himself not to interfere with the other teen's demonstration. And just as he had promised, Kise's bat froze about a centimeter from his handsome, angled jaw.

"See?" he grinned, lowering the bat. Unlike Akashi's, the veela's bat was a light colored wood (probably pine) and its grip was composed of alternating blue and white fabrics. Burned into the grain was a sun, much like that on the Japanese flag, whose rays spread from the center outwards. The initials carved into the wood looked very similar to the redhead's own handwriting.

"You made it for me," Kise offered, "You are an excellent craftsman. In fact, you made all of our bats." He gestured towards the vampires who were flying over head with Hayama. Suddenly, Akashi's vision began to swirl.

_"It was nothing," the red head heard himself saying. He was in the same stadium, but it was empty and late in the day; the sun had begun to set. Its red and orange hues fell softly on the group of students around him._

_Kise was tracing the letters of his name slowly while Mayuzumi simply kept turning the bat over in his hands. The other blond was swinging wildly and laughing all the while. Reo and Niou were both inspecting theirs carefully. Each gift had been crafted to its owner's preferences. Eikichi's was quite heavy and large, while Reo's was light yet beautiful. The vampire's had an intricate of roses carved into the wood._

_"It really is amazing, Sei-chan," the dark-haired teen said quietly. The glisten in his red eyes was a sure sign that he was holding back tears._

_"Are those water works? You're such a pussy!" the musclebound youth said with a grin. The expression was quickly erased from his face when a large bludger connected with a thud. Unceremoniously, Eikichi collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust._

_His eyebrow raised and lips quirked, Mayuzumi's bat was pointed at the body._

_"Think fast," he said with a smirk. The rest of the teens broke out into a fit of laughter as Reo wrapped his arm around the other vampire._

Again, the feeling of overwhelming deja vu hit Akashi as he fell back into his body. He blinked as he realized the blond was waiting for a response from him. It seemed like no time had actually passed however.

"I see. Are bludgers bigger in three on three?" he asked the veela.

Kise nodded, putting the bat in a sling on his hip. "It's way softer, too. Plus, usually we just use bats for defense. There's too much going on to be able to aim at anyone."

"I'm sure I could manage," Akashi replied. To anyone else, it would have sounded pompous or arrogant, but Kise knew him. Not that anyone questioned if the redhead's supreme confidence was completely justified, but not everyone understood that his statements held no other motive that to speak the truth. Kise did.

"It's your specialty actually," the veela agreed, "that and passing. Anyway, the game ends when time's up. None of that snitch shit."

The redhead grinned internally. That 'snitch shit' had lost him a few important quidditch matches in his life. In fact, it was refreshing that this contest would be more about skill and less about who's the best at finding a small, golden, winged ball.

Akashi tested the weight of the bat and swung it a few times before Kise handed him a leather sheath of his own.

"You usually wear it on your back," he smiled encouragingly, holding out the long belt. Their fingertips met as the redhead reached for his sling and he felt a jolt of electricity run through him.

_They stood just off a small path that the redhead recognized, he under the tree and another boy just beyond the protection of the branches. The sky was overcast and there was a chill in the breeze. Akashi dipped his head into his scarf, thinking that the blond should have worn one himself. The other teen fidgeted as he spoke, uncharacteristically nervous._

_"I mean, you're right... Of course you figured it out...I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier, but I didn't want to disgust you. I just--"a younger looking veela stuttered. His light hair was short, and his face still a round, youthful shape. Tears threatened to fall from his wide eyes. His cheeks were deep crimson._

_"There is no need for excuses, Ryouta," Akashi found himself saying reassuringly. His arms were spread slightly, palms up, as he leaned back against the wide trunk of the willow. "I've known for awhile and I've been waiting for you."_

_In the blink of an eye, the blond was wrapped around him, arms over his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. Akashi's hands slid onto the other young man's back firmly._

_"Baka," Kise croaked, "I didn't even know myself! You could have said something!"_

_The Slytherin smiled and rubbed circles in the crying youth's back. He leaned into his neck and inhaled. The blond smelled like crisp, rain and ocean breeze._

_"I'm sorry. Forgive me," Akashi said with a lilt of amusement in his voice. The veela attempted to shake his head, but before he could, Akashi caught his lips. The soft, cool, pink mouth fell pliant to his own as he led the kiss._

_It was as if the embers of a long burning fire were spreading throughout his veins. He was only a fourth year, but he knew that this teen-- his Kise-- was a person that he would never let go._

As he came back to his body this time, he quickly fastened the sling across his chest as he tried to hide the flush that was most certainly in his cheeks.

That was their first kiss. And as with each memory he lived, a few more populated his brain. The first time they met. Their first date. Feeling butterflies when they were roommates their third year. All of it made him begin to fall-- hard. As if being with this Kise for the day wasn't enough, now he was beginning to drown in the deeply loving memories the other Akashi shared with the blond. The redhead was relieved when the announcement came for the first match-- the former champions versus a local challenger.

"Shall we?" he asked the veela calmly. Akashi wore his trademark content smile as he mounted his broom. The blond's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the emotion he was reading from his boyfriend. But after a moment, he shrugged and climbed on his own broom, following the redhead into the sky without a second thought.

Hayama joined them midfield as they lined up. The young man grinned and gave them a thumbs up, his own long, slender, cedar bat hanging at his thigh. The referee floated above the center circle and behind her the challengers waved at the crowd.

One was a portly older fellow who looked like he was probably an excellent beater in his youth. The older woman, likely in her 50s, was lean and agile; she looked very much the part of a seeker. Finally, the third player was also a woman, though her skin was pale and had a strange glow to it--a veela glow. She was more built than the other woman, and had a keeper's confidence about her.

The trio was elderly, but no doubt competitive. A pleased glint in Kise's eyes let him know that the other young man felt the same.

Headmaster Garcia smirked as she began to speak. To Akashi, it was all just a dull roar as he focused on the quaffle in her hands. Her mouth was moving and the crowd was cheering, but all he heard was the blood rushing past his ears and the shrill whistle as she released the ball.

His body reacted exceptionally (as it always did) and the leather was in his hands. Before the opposing side could move an inch the redhead burst behind their line and easily threw the ball through the hoop.

All at once sound returned as Hayama clapped him on the back.

"Amazing Akashi-kun!" he screamed, nearly drowned out by the enthusiastic onlookers. In an over-articulated French, the match announcer pronounced the quickest goal in the history of the tournament.

Kise grinned as he flew past Akashi, mumbling just loud enough for the other young man to hear, "You keep that up and I'll have to reward you."

The Slytherin contained the creeping blush and grin, keeping his face calm and appreciative.

"Yes, you will," he responded coolly as the trio got into defensive position. Caught of guard, the veela stared at him a moment before letting out a loud and effervescent laugh.

"How much of my Akashi have you become?" he mused, offhandedly batting the bludger with a grin. The blond rushed to intercept a long pass between the fattish man and the older woman. His fingertips just grazed the ball, tipping it into Hayama's waiting arms. Akashi had to admit that the animagus was fast; he had gotten into position the instant Kise had moved.

The older blond teen's teeth flashed as he barred them in a feral grin. He dipped unnervingly low and fast towards the ground before pulling up. His movements were too quick for their opponents and he found himself open near the hoop. With one smooth motion, the defending champions were up by twenty.

"Well done, Kentarou," Akashi said with a smile. Hayama gave him a thumbs up, but internally the Slytherin faltered. The other player's first name had slipped out accidentally; it was common for the other Akashi to address him thusly though...

There was no time to think, however, as the veela woman fast approached him. She smiled a mesmerizing smile and for a moment he was distracted. He came to his senses just in time to deflect her pass. Unfortunately, it was picked up by the older man who made a beeline for the goal.

"Akashicchi, look out!"

Reflexively the redhead pulled his bat from over his shoulder and smashed the stray bludger...straight into the older man's stomach. With a loud, "oof" he released the quaffle and Hayama dipped down to retrieve it followed quickly by the older woman.

"Years too young to fetch that you," she laughed, suddenly picking up speed. True to her word, she swept up the grounded ball before the teen could reach it. Her broom changed directions with practiced agility and she shot as soon as she was in range. Unfortunately for her, Akashi was ready. With a twist of his body, he batted away the ball using the straw of his broom.

"A fantastic get m'am," he said politely, "but nothing will get past me."

The older woman smiled broadly and declared with an airy laugh "A cheeky, but well-mannered young man, eh? I like you."

"So do I," Kise said from above him with a bright smile. He turned to advance on the older man who had just picked up the quaffle. In an instant, the blond turned back, eyes wide, and the world blurred again.

_The young man's bright smile almost outshined the stage lights. He gave Akashi a wink and a thumbs up before turning back to the microphone and addressing the large crowd._

_"How you all doin' out there, Lyons?" the blond said in well accented French. "Are you ready to get groovy?" he continued._

_"Groovy..." Reo scoffed under his breath. The tall vampire held his large, black electric bass opposite Akashi and his keyboard. Between them, Mayuzumi idly spun one of his drumsticks through his fingers._

_The keyboardist let a small smirk dance on his lips. The use of that random, strange adjective was the only sign at all that Kise was nervous. And to be frank, Akashi was quite proud of their lead singer. Their first official gig was packed with well over a hundred teenagers in attendance._

_"Just get on with it, Kise," Mayuzumi drolled, stick now spinning at dizzying speeds. The blond shot him a quick glare before thanking the crowd and counting off._

_"1,2,3,4!" he shouted with a flourish. Then came the golden sound of his voice, crisp yet strangely soulful as it carried over the speakers._

_The first song they ever played live was a cover of "The Future Freaks Me Out," by Motion City Soundtrack. Only, on a whim Kise changed the lyrics that night from, "I know that she's the only one" to "he" and he changed the only name in the song from "Betty" to "Akashi."_

_The first time he belted, "Akashi won't stop listening to modern rock and he hates to be alone," the other teen actually lost his composure at the keys and began laughing so hard his fingers tripped over themselves._

_It was the one and only time Akashi made a mistake during a performance. Luckily, the two vampires (who had advanced notice from Kise) steeled themselves and managed to keep their wide grins from interfering with their playing._

_   
_ As Akashi snapped back into reality, he had a very rude awakening-- a large, leather bludger to the head.


	6. My Orders Are Absolute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short, and to the point.

_The only sound at the table was the quiet scraping of the silver forks against the fine chyna. Akashi chewed his food slowly, its delicious taste drowned out by the palpable apprehension he felt. To his right, his best friend's mouth moved just as deliberately. The blond felt the weight of the other boy's stare and their eyes met. Kise offered him a small smile._

_"So," the redhead's father began from across the table. The older man looked very much like his son, but without the striking hair color. Though he was almost fifty, his face was nearly wrinkle free. Kise suspected it was because the man never smiled nor laughed, nor had any particular expression at all._

_"You're Seijuro's friend from school, are you? What field of magic will you be specializing in?"_

_The blond was a little taken aback by the question. After all, they had only just finished their first year at Beauxbatons._

_"I'm not sure, but I've always been drawn to charms," he finally offered, accompanied by his brilliant smile._

_Akashi suppressed his own grin; the other boy's answer was very fitting since Kise had been turning on his charm all night. But, even with the blond's infamously effective ability set to maximum suaveness, Akashi's father had been unaffected._

_"Charms... hmm? How...adequate. And you, my boy. What has caught your attention?" Akashi elder questioned his son stoically._

_"I've decided to focus in both divination and wizarding history. I plan to use what I learn to develop new spells and enchantments," the redhead said, trying to sound as confident and to the point as possible. Both boys waited nervously for the older man's reaction; the young Akashi had warned Kise about the contention in their opinions._

_Slowly, Akashi-san set down his silverware and wiped his mouth. He leaned forward onto his palms, brow furrowed._

_"And how do you expect to become part of the ministry of magic parliament with those study plans?"_

_"I'm not sure that I do," came the flat response._

_"Ridiculous. Akashi's rise to power. Don't waste your potential on frivolous things," the man said with a wave of dismissal, "You are a leader. Leave the creativity to lesser wizards, like this half-breed friend of yours or you'll be just as lacking as they are."_

_The words curled off the man's tongue with a distinct air of disgust._

_The heat rose to Akashi's face as his father's words settled in. He had never felt this furious in his life. But before he could retort, Kise spoke._

_"Akashi Seijuro is an amazing wizard," the veela began as he stood, "he's top of the class in every subject, an amazing musician, and the best chaser this school's ever seen. He's polite and well-spoken, and everyone loves him. And you--" he said as he slammed his palms into the hardwood table, "don't deserve to have a son half as amazing as he is."_

_With that, the infuriated boy quickly excused himself and left the room._

_Akashi-san took a sip from his glass of wine. He set down the glass and leveled his gaze on his stunned son._

_"That boy is a half-breed. A veela no less. I don't want you befriending him."_

_Those cold words felt icy as they splashed into the redhead's face, tearing him from his state of surprise. He narrowed his eyes as he placed his napkin on the table._

_"I won't have you belittling my best friend. He is much more than a 'half-breed' as you so eloquently put it," he said as he stood, "Thank you for dinner. I'll be returning to Beauxbatons earlier than expected."_

_As he left the room, the consequences of his actions were far from his mind. His only thought was, "Is Kise alright?"_

_Before he could reorient himself, another memory began. This time, he was older; it felt like a very recent memory in fact._

_"You must be quiet, Ryouta," he heard himself say._

_Around him, the school corridors were dark and they walked silently through the halls. They must've cast a spell on their shoes to keep from making any sound._

_He felt the veela's hand tighten in his in acknowledgement as Akashi pulled them towards their destination. He had discovered it just days before and was more than excited to share it._

_They wormed their way to the third floor, narrowly avoiding the nightwatch ghost, and to an area of the building that Kise had never been. The massive cobwebs in the small passage they veered into weren't a great sign, but the veela had faith in his boyfriend._

_Yes, they were definitely together in this memory._

_"Obscuro," Akashi said as they neared a large iron gate. Kise opened his mouth to protest the blindfold, but the redhead stopped him with another spell, "silencio."_

_The redhead knew that if they didn't hurry, the other teen would grow indignant. And while the thought of a silently ranting and flailing Kise entertained him, that wasn't the purpose of this foray into this area of the castle._

_"Just a moment, please," he said, low voice. Instantly, the other youth did as he was told-- Kise was nothing if not fully trusting of Akashi. The Slytherin allowed himself a fond smile before unlocking the gate. With a muffled creak, it swung open and they stepped into the moonlight._

_"Diffindo," the redhead spoke, deftly cutting though the blindfold._

_As it fell from the blond's face, he gasped._

_In front of them was the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. It reminded him of a small Versaille. Large decorative hedges ran the circular border of the small garden and stone pathways wove in and out of his field of vision. Beautiful hedges, topiaries and exotic giant flowers were strategically placed throughout the garden. And at its center stood a grey, stone fountain, featuring the Greek god of the Sun, Apollo._

_The statue rode in a small chariot, stone arms about the pump the horses' reins. He stood proudly and handsomely in the dark liquid._

_"He reminds me of someone," Akashi said, lips twisting upwards slightly as they walked to the edge of the water feature. He laced their fingers together casually though his heart skipped a beat everytime he touched the veela._

_When Kise looked again, the resemblance was quite uncanny he thought._

_"Are you saying I'm a god?" he grinned as he elbowed the other young man._

_With a flick of his wrist, Akashi gathered a long white lily from the pond at the other end of the garden._

_"Yes," he said matter-of-factly, handing Kise the flower. The lily, in all its beauty, had a much more significant meaning to the veela. One that Akashi knew as well. The flower, when given, means "I dare you to love me."_

_The tears swelled in the blond's eyes along with another, bolder emotion._

_Before the other young man could react, Kise pushed Akashi into a seated position on the edge of the fountain. The redhead blinked in surprise. Without preamble,  Kise ran his strong hands over the other young man's legs pausing at his hips. Slowly, he undid his pants. The blond met the red eyes' heated look with his own lust filled gaze. His words were barely audible._

_"As you wish."_

_And that was Akashi's first blowjob._

 

Instead of the usual stomach lurching descent into his body, this time Akashi felt as if his soul slowly melted into his flesh. Around him, he felt the warmth of the bed linen and in his palm he felt the warmth of the other young man's hand.

The redhead didn't move right away, not wanting to ruin this fleeting moment of bliss. After all, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he knew that this 'trip' was coming to an end soon. So he relished the heat and the love he knew the veela possessed for him. The memories that had flooded back with his last vision proved the fact beyond the shadow of a doubt.

They also made him hunger for Kise in a way that he found intolerable.

As he clenched the other young man's hand tighter, Akashi shifted to pull it close to his chest. His eyelids fluttered open and met deep, golden and somewhat concerned gaze. Behind him, the medical tent's canvas walls flapped calmly in the breeze. They were alone in the small, makeshift nurses station. Outside he heard the dull roar of the crowd cheering.

"Are you feeling alright, Akashicchi?" the veela asked as his other hand moved to run through Akashi's hair. The fingers whisked gently through the short strands and the redhead hummed in answer.

"How long have I been out?" Akashi whispered.

"About an hour," the blond answered, his voice inflecting fondly.

From his chest, Akashi pulled the other teen's hand to his lips and closed his eyes as he kissed the familiar palm, then rest it on his cheek.

Against the flush of his skin, it felt cool.

"What did you see this time?" Kise asked with a bright chuckle. His laugh was cut short by a small grunt as he was flipped onto the bed. Expertly, Akashi had pulled the other teen down and managed to get on top of them. He kneeled with his legs straddling the blond's hips and smirked.

Kise's adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, but laid back compliantly.

Akashi let his hands run gently down the other young man's arms, tracing the outline of his muscled forearms before gripping his wrists and slowly raising them above the blond's head, resting his own weight on them softly. He leaned down, a hair's breadth from Kise's lips.

"I want to taste you while I can, Ryouta," the redhead murmured before closing the gap between them. As their mouths met, Akashi felt the blond moan quietly at the sensation, moving to deepen the kiss. Obliging him, the Slytherin traced Kise's perfect lips with his tongue and slowly gave the veela what he wanted. After a few breath stealing moments, Akashi pulled away, raising himself back onto all fours.

He lingered over the other teen for a time, taking in the blond's flushed appearance, tousled hair, and swollen lips. Then, he released him and as he pressed his lips to Kise's collar bone, he traced one hand along the veela's abs.

The other young man sucked in a hiss and squirmed under the touch. With deft fingers, Akashi undid the buttons of the light blue uniform and let his lips trail kisses down Kise's chest.

"Akashich--"

"Call me Seijuro. You always do, Ryouta."

Kise bucked up gently as the other youth's warm breath reached his waistline.

"Seijuro..." he huffed, unable to stop his hands burrowing themselves into the soft, red hair.

"I said taste. I meant everything," lips brushing the blond's skin as Akashi spoke.

"But what about--"

"My orders are absolute," Akashi replied with a quirk of his eyebrow. He slipped his hands into the other teen's pants and began to pull them off.

"You know how much it turns me on when you say that," Kise growled as he lifted his hips in turn. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this so far! I know this chapter was a little short, but I hope it was a worthy edition. The next chapter will likely be the last in this story(unless I get a fit of inspiration).


	7. the Red Pill, or the Blue?

They lay entangled in the small bed; limbs, sheets, pillows all thrown together in a perfectly comfortable mess.

Akashi ran his fingers through the light blond strands lying against his chest, unable to sleep himself despite the soothing rhythm of Kise's unconscious breath.

After their encounter in the nurse's station, somehow, using an impressive apparition spell (one that Akashi knew would not work at Hogwarts as he had tried it himself and ended up in the headmaster's office), the veela had brought them back to his room in a flash. The heat between them had not cooled and instead burned with an intensity that the redhead could not defeat. He was at a loss, but he had felt very much so as if he had won.  

He had let the other youth take him.

It was his first time... and in essence a betrayal to Kuroko-- Akashi understood that-- but to be fair he and the silver-haired teen's roles would likely be reversed. Maybe not permanently, but at least in general, so they would have their own kind of first. It would still be special and exclusively theirs. Moreover, he wasn't really himself in this world; with the gained memories and perspective, he felt as if he had lived the other Akashi's life.

These were excuses. Akashi knew that.

And to be honest, as he always was with himself, he understood his transgression completely. But it didn't matter really. He had been unable to resist Kise, the young man he loved so entirely (and who loved him with equal totality) in in this alternate world.

To be completely honest, he hadn't wanted to resist. He had no regrets, especially not now as the warmth of the veela's body crept into his own.

Akashi sighed and pressed a gentle kiss into the messy, blond, post-sex hair; the thick long strands were tangled in a way that the redhead somehow found endearing....what a strange way to think of another person's disheveled appearance. It wasn't the beginning of the oddity he currently felt.

In the Slytherin's heart and mind, conflicted emotions and thoughts had begun to stir-- so reminiscent of when he had battled 'little brother.' The noise of his thoughts and feelings was slowly rising and becoming less and less tolerable. Currently, it was unpleasant at best.

As if he could feel Akashi's unrest (which he actually probably could), Kise began to stir. The blond mumbled in an undeniably cute and heart crushing way, his voice slightly higher pitched in his sleep. He ran his fingers along Akashi's bared side before he settled his hand on the redhead's shoulder, lips also pressing into his chest. Satisfied, the veela curled up and burrowed into his lover with as much closeness as physically possible. The stubble on his chin rubbed roughly, but not disagreeably against Akashi's own smooth skin. 

The love so obvious in Kise's actions gave the redhead an unexpected refrain from the unrest inside him.

He wrapped his arms even tighter around the teen and the much needed sleep that had eluded him for hours finally came.

 

_"Do you think he's alright?" asked a gruff, but familiar voice._

_Softly, a delicate hand rest on Akashi's forehead. Its owner spoke with a feigned confidence that only the redhead would have been able to recognize in his best friend._

_"I'm sure he is. Tetsu and Mura-chan are still out, so I don't think there's any need to worry really."_

_"Yeah, but they're not as red as Akashi. Looks like he has a fever or--uff--" Kagami's speculation was abruptly cut off as Himuro elbowed him none too softly in the ribs._

_"I'm sure you're right, Momoi," the older teen offered as he patted her shoulder kindly._

_The Slytherin prefect had yet to open his eyes. The lids felt held down by lead weights, just like the rest of his body. In the blackness, his mind hinted at the possibility that this was actual reality._

_But, did he want this reality anymore?_

_He struggled with his decision to either push himself towards complete wakefulness or to throw himself back into his life with Kise. As he contemplated, Himuro spoke up again, voice quiet and hesitant._

_"Was it hard for you to choose to come back, Momoi?" he ventured._

_"I--" she began hesitantly, "I mean, it was, a little. I love it here, but in the trip...When the memories came, for a second, I thought that maybe I was meant to be with Dai-chan."_

_She laughed before she let out an exaggerated "ew."_

_"What do you think would have happened if we'd chosen to stay there?" Kagami asked, worry coming unbidden in his slightly scratchy voice. The trio were silent for quite some time and the soft hand returned to stroke his hair; that hand belonged to one of the most important people in his life. Or so he thought._

_"I have no idea," the pink haired youth responded._

_"Was it even real?" Himuro wondered._

_The group of friends he had surrounded himself with. Were they a dream? Was it even real?_

 

Was that even real?

The drugs disorienting effects had left him feeling more addled about the situation than he thought possible of himself. The question of which reality was which (though it ought to have been clear cut and obvious) began to swim through Akashi's brain, its momentum causing a current that eventually woke him with a start. 

"Seijuro," a velvety voice asked him as a pair of soft lips traced his jaw. But instead of asking him if he were alright, the other young man's tone was not that of concern, rather that of advice, "it's almost time to decide."

Akashi didn't respond with words, instead choosing to lift the other's chin and meet him with a meaningful kiss. His tongue tangled with the other youth's familiar muscle easily. After a few blissful moments, he pulled away, nibbling on Kise's lip as the veela spoke again.

"I don't know what happens to wizards who choose to stay, only that they seem lost in their own world. But, they could have just lost their minds-- literally," he said with a small, but not discompassionate smirk.

"You don't know if it's real," Akashi mused quietly.

"I don't even know if I'm real," Kise agreed, moving to prop himself on his elbow. Lazily, he traced circles on Akashi's chest as his amber eyes gazed at him with a deep adoration that the redhead had grown accustomed to.

"But if it is..." the Slytherin began. He didn't bother to finish; the other could read his mind after all. Kise hummed as Akashi pulled the blond's finger into his mouth and sucked thoughtfully.

"But if it is," Kise continued, "then you have a choice."

His eyes sparkled as he pulled his hand away and swiped his thumb across Akashi's already swollen lips.

"The red pill, or the blue pill, Seijuro?"

Surprised by his words, the Slytherin chuckled-- a sound that he still wasn't used to. 

"What do you think, Ryouta? Honestly."

The blond rolled onto Akashi and pushed himself upright so he straddled the other young man. The moonlight from the opened window the only light in the small room. The redhead offhandedly noted that it wasn't his room they were in. In their passion, he hadn't bothered to look around. 

Kise's own bedroom had no roommate, but was much smaller than his. A small dresser and set of drawers lay along the way, clothes strew over them and some of the drawers open. On the wall above the set, a photo of their band performing on some nondescript stage hung proudly; two figures shared the mic. A large quidditch team photo on the wall space just above it and he could see what he only guessed must be Hayama waving frantically. On the writing desk under the window, a picture of the two of them moved in the silver glow of the night. They looked happy. 

Akashi's eyes traced the other young man's pale, but muscled form above him. He rest his palms on Kise's hips as he listened, solemnly. 

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me," the blond said earnestly. Slowly, he reached down and let his fingers trace the shell of Akashi's ear before he continued, "I am lucky to have you, and amazed that you have given me your love. I-- I really couldn't live without you."

The redhead slid his hands up the other young man's back and pulled himself up to his chest. He squeezed him tightly in his arms, inhaling the scent of the ocean and hints of rain, and braced himself for the "but" he knew was sure to follow.

The other's lithe but strong arms wrapped around him in return and he felt a kiss pressed into the top of his head. For once, he did not wish to meet those golden eyes, so he stilled and waited.

"But. I'm sure there are some on the other side who cares for you almost as deeply. And I would never want to take you from them. I would never forgive myself, just as I would never forgive someone who took you from me," his voice had a sad, but firm cadence that Akashi had never heard before.

He knew Kise was right. His brilliant, observant, reckless, loving, and accepting Kise...

in actuality,

was not his.

His heart felt as if it were a page being torn from a book.

"I know," the veela soothed, quietly, "trust me, Sei. Coming down can be painful, but you will be fine."

He pushed Akashi's shoulder's so their eyes met.

"You're not allowed to forget about me," the blond intoned with a small grin, "but, I'm sure it'll feel like this was a good dream. Nothing more."

"You've never had a trip that affected you quite this much," Akashi protested gently and Kise's features softened.

"You're right."

"Of course. I am absolute."

Kise laughed brightly and Akashi allowed himself a small smile. Something was pressed into his palm as a fleeting thought crossed Akashi's mind and the blond leaned forward to whisper a response in his ear. As the lips brushed against his skin, a small shiver ran down the other teen's spine.  

"I won't forget you, either."

  
  
A switch was flipped and everything went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a very short update; it just felt right to end it here. There will be an epilogues...so I guess I lied about this being the last chapter. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> [also, just an FYI, but I do love comments and critiques...like ya know...whatever...it's cool...... yo. ]


	8. Back to the Real World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you want some more Momoi-Akashi time? Well, that's what you're getting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Satsuki and Akashi, BroTP or true love?

It had been three months since the trip. Of course, they had all talked about what they had done, who they had seen, different things, same things.

Murasakibara had gotten into a fight at Durmstrang. Apparently, all snacks were supposed to be shared there. Among comrades.

Himuro had spent his day or so back in America with Kagami. The aforementioned brother had awkwardly mentioned playing in a quidditch tournament with Kuroko--which didn't seem like a story worth the deep shade of red that Kagami granted it.

Takao had grinned and said that the only thing different in his trip was that Midorima was a bit more wanton. The Ravenclaw growled a heated warning which had only egged the dark-haired teen on. But, Midorima had gotten his revenge with his account of a peaceful day alone by the lake. Without, he added pointedly, any annoyances.

When it was her turn, Momoi had blushed describing her experience as a Slytherin, but skirting the what aspect of the questions. She mostly talked about how weird it was to be friends with Slytherin girls and being in the Slytherin common room. Altogether too dark, she said.

After conjuring loads of snacks and butterbeers, the mixed-and-matched group of Hogwart's finest talked into the evening.

But--a definite but--they had all kept something to themselves. Each and every friend had something from their own, personal drug-induced adventure that they felt needed to be kept private.

That was the thing about best friends; everyone understood. They let it be. Good friends might've wondered, brought it up in conversation occasionally, or maybe asked right out. Close friends would probably mention it something in passing once and awhile, or let their minds dwell on what they weren't being told. But best friends...they let it go. Or at least let it go until one of them felt the need to share...which Akashi very much didn't.

It's not that he and Kuroko hadn't spoken about it in detail. In fact, the redhead had shared most things about the trip with the entire group. They knew about Kise and the quidditch.

The kiss under the tree though, and the acceptance of his duality, were things that he had only told his diaphanous boyfriend. Even still, Akashi had yet to mention the feelings he had or that last romp in the nurse's tent. He doubted he would ever get into specifics about those last few hours spent with Kise.

For Kuroko's part, he talked about being a Gryffindor and briefly mentioned his relationship with Kagami (which had made said beater turn beat red, much to the group's amusement), but hadn't said much else. When the Hufflepuff had been alone with his boyfriend, he'd shared his feelings about being part of a different house and a sense of regret that had washed over him during his trip. Like it was his life, but it wasn't, but it could be, but it couldn't.

And that was a feeling that Akashi understood completely.

All that aside, the Slytherin prefect currently sat at his favorite spot with his best friend. Both sixth years had bundled up because despite being March, Spring had yet to show its cheerful face at Hogwarts.

The two chewed their lunches silently. The quiet between them had a tension that Akashi was completely unaccustomed to. It was a bit awkward, but he knew he had to broach the subject. The vela was coming in a few days.

"It was you," Momoi said before the redhead could begin.

He stopped chewing for a moment and fixed her with his red gaze. It matched the color of her cheeks. She set down her sandwich and buried her face in her hands. A vein of red, and orange spread for where her hair was parted. It crept like a flame until it reached the tips of her hair and it all began to curl.

His own food set aside, Akashi rest his hand on his best friend's shoulder and squeezed.

"It was you," could mean any number of things. The most likely that he was still an evil son-of-a-bitch in the reality she went to--or-didn't-actually-go-to-but-instead-imagined. Who knew really. Whether the trip was real or all in their heads.

The Slytherin blinked and refocused on his friend. Since the trip, he'd found his mind wandering more often that it used to.

"What was me?" he said quietly, comfortingly.

"It's too embarrassing," Momoi mumbled into her knees. Her hair burned to a super-saturated tone of blue.

"Hmm, is it though? It's just me," Akashi whispered as he rubbed her back.

"You're making this worse!" the young woman suddenly shouted, springing up. Her breath was coming in quick gasps. She seemed tired, yet full of energy all at once.

The Slytherin prefect blinked. For once at a complete loss for words.

Her feet began to move and his friend began to pace across the tiles of the roof quickly. She walked closer to the edge than she had ever done in the past. Despite the sticking charm, the Ravenclaw still had a small fear of heights. But, it seemed that was forgotten.

"You were like this in the trip too," she began, turning on her heel to continue her pacing. "You're always just so nice, and so wonderful. I mean, I know not really always, what with your little brother and all, but with me--"

She suddenly stopped and turned to look at Akashi head on, pointing an accusing finger.

"With me, you were always so wonderful!"

And with that, she looked at him expectantly.

Again, the Slytherin was unsure how to respond. So he just stood and met her gaze, waiting for his mind to sort through the information she'd given him. In a moment, with her finger still focused on him, he understood.

"We were together," he ventured carefully, taking a step closer to her.

"YES!" she shouted as she threw her arms up, "And now, every time I look at you, I feel this feeling--a feeling that isn't even mine, but that I can't seem to forget--and it's awkward!"

"It doesn't have to be," Akashi said with a small smile. He reached out his hand and, eventually, was rewarded by a small palm pressed against his. He sat again, pulling at her gently. After a moment of standing above him, his best friend sat as well.

"How?" the Ravenclaw whispered finally.

Despite his incredible ability to control his emotions, Akashi could not help but stifle and audible laugh.

"Sei-chan!" Momoi shrieked, smacking his arm firmly.

"I'm sorry. I really am sorry. It's just so funny to me."

The Ravenclaw offered him a deadpan stare. But before she could move to leave, Akashi wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I mean, it's funny because I wanted to talk to you about something similar today."

He pressed a small kiss into the side of her head in an effort to appease her and continued, "I'm only laughing because us not being best friends is rather ridiculous. You and I are you and I and we always will be."

The young woman eyed him in her peripheral.

"You wanting to ravish me doesn't make any difference."

And with that, he received a graceful if not also extremely forceful shove. But, a small smile had slipped onto the Ravenclaw's lips and she had yet to leave his side.

Akashi knew her. And he knew the situation.

"It's not like it was this you," he added with his own smile, "If it was the same experiences for you as it was for me, then in the end you actually felt as if you were that other Momoi. Am I correct?"

She nodded slowly, "All of her memories just seemed to jump into me at once. Suddenly I couldn't separate the two of us. It was actually quite frightening."

The redhead squeezed her shoulder.

"It was the same for me. I--" his red eyes met hers, turned purple--her favorite, "I almost didn't come back." His voice had dropped so low that Momoi could barely hear him, but her heart flipped in her chest. It was unsettling to think that her best friend might've disappeared into the-place-where-wizards-go-when-no-one-knows-where-they-go.

"I loved him that much," he added in a whisper.

And then Momoi understood exactly why Akashi had wanted to speak with her today.

"He'll be here on Friday," she said, their roles reversed. Delicately, she laced her fingers through those resting on her shoulder.

"I know."

"As much as I loved you, I didn't really consider staying."

The young woman received a noncommittal hum in response.

"You must've really loved Ki-chan," she pressed.

"Yes."

"But, if you thought it was only the other Sei-chan's memories, then you wouldn't be worried."

"Hm."

"But you are."

"Yes."

This time, she maneuvered to meet his gaze.

"Why, Sei-chan?"

Akashi's red eyes met her currently swirling green ones; he smiled softly and pushed her firey hair behind her ear. She waited quietly for him to gather his thoughts.

"When my little brother was around," he began, voice wistful, "I broke through to talk with you. Those times together were invaluable to me."

Momoi could resist pulling him into a tight hug. His hand patted her back and gradually, she released him. Once again, she waited silently for him to continue.

"You weren't frightened of me. Not like the others. You didn't pity me. You knew I was there and you waited for me. Like you always do."

"Of course," she whispered. Tears lined her eyes just thinking of how difficult it had been.

"But...none of you could accept my little brother. None of you though that he was a part of me. He was just an enemy--mine and yours."

Satsuki knew it wasn't her place to speak yet. What her friend said was true. Even she, the most patient and hopeful about Akashi's situation, had always thought that he needed to be rid of Bokushi...that the other personality was bad and somehow not at all Akashi. She had never considered it another way.

"Yet he was a part of me. A part of who I was," the redhead continued, "I myself hadn't really thought about him as me, so I don't really blame any of you--especially since his reappearance was much more deplorable."

He fell silent and both friends took a drink of their drinks.

Momoi's mind was chewing through all of the new information. After a few moments, the obvious conclusion winked at her.

"So," she began slowly,"Ki-chan--that Ki-chan--accepted both of you. His Akashi was both of you?"

"Yes," the Slytherin said with a rueful smirk, "He had helped me, or the other me actually, to reconcile my psyche. When I asked Kise how, he told me that it was because he loved all of me. And I can't help but think that in that instant I myself may have actually fallen for him."

"And he's coming here in a few days with the Beauxbatons group."

"Yes."

"But, he's not the same Ki-chan," Momoi offered with encouragement.

"No. I suppose he's not. It's silly really." Akashi stood and stretched, looking at Momoi before extending his hand. "My feelings for Kuroko have in no way altered. But at the same time, Kise holds a space in my heart. I can't shake the idea, prowling in the back of my mind, that we would be extraordinary together."

Momoi allowed the Slytherin to pull her to her feet. Then, she gave him the most sound and mature advice he had ever received.

"We're still young, Sei-chan."

Akashi chuckled. The Ravenclaw looped her arm through his and tugged him towards the window.

"Besides, who knows? Maybe you and Tetsu are meant to be or maybe you and Kise are actually perfect for each other. Or maybe you and someone else are soulmates. Does it really matter? As long as we live in the moment and area happy now, I'm not particularly worried what the future holds. Maybe I'll end up with Dai--" Satsuki couldn't finish without shuddering and uttering a long "ewwww."

The other teen laughed out loud, as he had been more prone to doing since the trip. Though she didn't say anything about it, Momoi had of course noticed the change. In fact, she relished it, this new lightheartedness she sensed in Akashi.

If that was also because of that Ki-chan, as she suspected it was, the Ravenclaw thought that she would have to thank him if they ever met. Maybe on her own trip one day.

"What will you say to him when he gets here?"she said as she slipped through the window he held open for her.

"How do you know I'll even speak to him about it?" Akashi said. His eyes glinted and a small smirk tugged at his lips.

"Of course you will," Momoi said, rolling her eyes, "Please stop forgetting how well I know you."

"I will make an effort to remember," he drawled.

"And?"

"And, I don't know what I'll say. I--" Akashi paused as he opened the secret entrance to the room of requirement, "I'm really not sure."

The duo descended the hidden staircase.

"How much does Tetsu know?" the Ravenclaw asked as they walked.

"Most," her friend replied simply, "the last admittance of my potential genuine feelings for Kise, however, has been spoken to you alone. Kuroko and I have a mutual understanding about the trip. I suspect he has similar unrest involving Kagami."

"Che," Satsuki said before she pushed past the tapestry that concealed the entrance, "comparing you and Kagami is like comparing grape juice and fine wine. Or a penguin and a phoenix."

"Penguins are very noble birds."

"Sure, but they still don't hold a candle to a phoenix. Don't be facetious."  
"I apologize, my dear Satsuki."

"Despite the sarcasm, I accept."

After passing the door three times, Akashi opened the door and held it for his friend. He tilted his head as she called out into the room, looking for the rest of the band. 

"We're just setting up backstage," a familiar Slytherin voice called. In the corner of the currently very large room, a short black stage with maroon curtains had been set up. The stage lights were off, but ready to be used. The room was prepared for the run through of their new set.

"Oh good, Muro-chan! I'm so glad you're early," Momoi twittered, moving quickly towards the lighting panel.

"Yeah, I had a lot of drums to set up. Ats--Murasakibara was just helping me out."

The tall purple haired giant poked a large hand out from behind the curtain in acknowledgement.

"And Kazu-chan?" their currently pink haired manager responded.

"I think he's gone to get Midorima's sister," Himuro yelled back.

Akashi sighed and took his place next to the young woman, "Must the young one attend every practice? She doesn't even enjoy our music."

"Yeah, but Mido-chan secretly adores it when she comes," the Ravenclaw replied with a smile dancing on her lips, "besides, you need to draw in more of that tween crowd."

The redhead rolled his eyes and received a gentle punch in the shoulder.

"You're just on edge because Ki-chan will be here so soon," Momoi said lightly. Her voice had an amused a teasing lilt that Akashi both loved and hated. That, and the fact that she was absolutely right, bothered him for the rest of practice.

Just five more days and he would have some answers. 


End file.
